What happened
Three Saudi Arabian nationals were killed in two attacks on Riyadh's international airport, according to the country's civil aviation authority. The attacks also injured several Saudi citizens and residents of various nationalities. The first attack targeted the airport, while the second struck an aircraft belonging to state carrier Saudia, killing one of its pilots.
The Houthi group, which is backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they had targeted the airport with two ballistic missiles. They also claimed to have targeted an airport in Najran city and Khamis Mushait air base, although Saudi Arabia has not confirmed these attacks.
The latest casualties come amid an escalation in fighting between the Houthi group and Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's government. The conflict has worsened in recent weeks, with the Houthis seizing strategically important stretches of the Red Sea coast and Yemeni pro-government forces responding with air strikes and ground fighting.
The Houthi group says it is targeting Saudi Arabia over its support for government forces in Yemen's civil war, which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis. A temporary ceasefire was brokered in 2022, but it began to unravel in July, with the Houthis announcing a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and launching missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities, and tankers.
